Yamaha MT-07: Key features explained

The Yamaha MT-07 is one of the best big bikes that the company sells in the Malaysian market. It has the naked street styling and manages to woo a lot of buyers with its king-of-the-road-like design.

The MT-07, at the time of its launch, was the company’s answer to the similar popular bike from Kawasaki, the ER-6. The company had brought the bike to the local arena with the intention of bringing an all-in-one motorcycle. Although it failed to be the jack of all trades, the MT-07 managed to be the master in a couple.

The motorcycle is like a fierce naked street model with a fire-breathing engine under the hood. But then again, it is slightly touring-biased like the KTM Adventure. So, here are the top things you need to know about the Yamaha MT-07 along with its key features explained.

1. The MT moniker

Yamaha makes its MT range of bikes as the abbreviation to “Master of Torque”. The middleweight does offer a very high amount of torque distributed brilliantly in all the gears. Despite being nimble, the ride feels very torque-rich, as you can crawl up in the traffic without worrying much about settling to a lower gear.

Moreover, the level of torque is so high on the first three gears that if you hit the accelerator on a standstill, you may have the front wheel lifted at least an inch off the ground most of the time.

2. The Suspension

The Yamaha MT-07 has a very good suspension, especially after the latest update. It has the same telescopic front forks and swingarm rear suspension but the springs have been tuned to offer better comfort on bumpy roads and on corners. Both the front and rear suspensions have a travel of 130 mm, which is quite good if the sporty riding dynamics are concerned.

3. Ride & Handling

If there was ever that one factor that the MT-07 would excel in, it has to be the ride quality. The naked street bike feels very stable at high speeds, thanks to the grippy 120-section front tyre and 180-section rear. Take it down to a corner with decelerating and the bike obeys and hugs the lean angle. But don’t worry about the braking as the 282 mm front and 245 mm rear disc brakes have a very good bite and can rapidly decelerate.

4. Power

The Yamaha MT-07 is powered by a 689 cc liquid-cooled DOHC engine with two cylinders and four valves. This motor can churn out a good power of 74.8 PS at 9,000 RPM and a peak torque of 68 Nm which comes at 6,500 RPM. The power is sent down to the wheels via a 6-speed constant mesh transmission.

5. Dimensions

Yamaha has crafted the dimensions of the MT-07 with utmost diligence and precision. Being a big middleweight, the 1,400 mm wheelbase turns out to be shorter than most others so that the riding becomes fun and very responsive. That, along with the linear power delivery, lets you zoom past the traffic without much of a fuss. The saddle height of 805 mm is slightly on the higher side, but you could expect that from a naked street bike.

However, it is the low 140 mm ground clearance that makes it a lot like a tourer besides being a powerful street fighter. The bike feels very light even at a standstill. Considering that it has a 700cc engine, the 179 kgs of dry kerb weight is quite commendable.

6. The instrument display

Adding a conventional big screen on the front would have hampered the aggressive styling of the MT-07. However, in order to get the right styling and front-weighted design, the slim and stylish display has digital display mounted on the tube-like wide handlebar. This saves up a lot of space to accommodate the fierce-looking headlamps and tank cowls.

Verdict

Yamaha MT-07 is an example of the extent to which the company can go to in order to live up to the expectations. However, there are just some minor issues that the company could have worked on. Since the bike serves a lot of purpose from cruising and racing to commuting, a complete segment-styling seems missing. Just like any other naked street bike is expected to be, ground clearance, in that case, is a lot lower.

Moreover, with over 70 PS of power, ABS should have been added, at least as an option.